Contention-based network access mechanisms are employed in network communication protocols of a variety of different types of communication networks. For example, contention-based network access mechanisms are employed in local area networks (e.g., Ethernet networks), wireless networks (e.g., wireless networks based on the IEEE 802.11 standard), home area network (HAN) systems, and Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) networks, among others. In a contention-based system, contestant nodes compete for a right or status in a communications network (e.g., the right to transmit over a shared broadcast medium or a right to join a network of nodes connected to the communications network). Such competition in a contention-based system typically occurs within a contention window, which is a window divided into a number of slots (e.g., 16 or 32) representing communication channels. In a contention, each contestant node selects a communication channel from among the slots of a contention window, and sends a contention participation message using the selected communication channel. When several contestant nodes are simultaneously attempting to join a network, the contestant node that selects the lowest slot is determined to have won the contention, and a new link in the network is created to connect the winning node to the network. Once connected to the network, the winning node and the other connected nodes of the network may share access to a communications medium via a variety of different protocols (e.g., Carrier Sense Multiple Access protocol, Time Division Multiple Access protocol, and so on).